The players are warming up on lawn 1.  The lawns were running at 11 to 11.5 sec yesterday, and the ground is quite soft, so the hoops are likely to be quite easy.  All due to heavy rain a couple of days ago, unfortunately.  I'm acting as RoT, but hopefully should be able to keep commentary going on this game.  Phil Cordingly is covering the other two games.

Soo Y, played to E boundary

Forster, K to corner 2

Lamm R hits Y, moves B out of corner, to opposite hoop 6, 2 yards off yardline.  Lays poor rush - long and pointing towards C2.

Clarke B misses to C4

Y hits red gently, takes off to B in C4.  Gets rush to K.  Should have break now.

Rushes 1 yd N of 1, takes off to get 45 deg angled hoop, but makes it look easy.

Makes 2, but break still looking scrappy, K pioneer for 3 is only 1.5 yds off yardline in front of 3.  Gets rush to it off R, so is in good shape now.

Jeff makes hoop 5, break under full control

Seems to be heading for a diagonal spread, R and K by peg, making 3b off B.

Yep, spread with black at the peg.  Clips Y (Soo) 4b, R, B, K on 1.

6. Y has a nasty angled 1. Looked runnable, but rejects

B lifted, Clarke shooting from B Baulk........misses to C4

Lamm, R making H2 off Y with 3-ball break.  B still in C4

R takes off from K to B in C4, goes off the lawn next to B

B sends R to peg, gets rush on Y to K near Hoop 3.  Y goes to 2, but rush on K looks like its pointing at C4.  Rushes to mid south boundary.

Rolls to 1, gets angled hoop , makes it.

B is now on 4-ball break.  K is for 1, Y for 4b, R for 4.

No hint of a TPO, looks like B is just going to 4b.

B is making 3b, looks like he wants to put R on the hoop.  K is near peg, making 3b of Y with R behind the hoop.

Fails to get a rush he likes on R.  Sends it to E bounday level with H5.  Y goes to peg, but trying to position wired from R sends it into K.  Laying up on W boundary, Y open on everything at the peg.

B leaves K a rush towards H1.  Must be a huge double from A baulk.

Long debate before Y (4b ball) is lifted to shoot at the double.......

....misses to C2.

K makes H1 with rush to C2.  Rushes to boundary level with H2.  Sends B behind hoop, approaches 2 off Y sending it t 3.  Gets 1 yd straight h2, which he makes.

B goes to h4, any tp will be delayed.

clips B on H3 (break), Y & K 4b, R 4.

Sets B & Y up at 4b for delayed tp, going to R at h5.

B jawsed at 4b with rush to 6.

Rush peeled after 6.

Makes 3b with rush to R & B at penult.  Rushes B a bit long, but in front of penult.  2 yd peel attempt.  Jawsed.

Send R just past rover, going to Y.  Trickles at B in hoop, peels it 3" through and has reverse take-off.

Gets rush on B by penult after making hoop off Y, rushes to 2 ft in front of rover.

Jawses B in rover.  Looks awfully close to jump it.

Plays jump shot, peels B but fails to run hoop.  R, B, K by rover, Y 5 yd W of peg.

R rushes K to H4, has easy break but with partner at H5 so tp looks tricky.

makes 4, sends K to 4b going to Y.  Stupid me, I got confused, his H5 ball is B so he can send Y to 4b going to his H5 pioneer.

Gets 1 yd peeling position at 4b after H5.  Peelee bounces off the hoop.

Poor rush on K to 6, has a 5-yd take off from behind the hoop.  Y remains close in front of 4b, B by 1b.

Runs 6.  rushes K back to near 6, I guess Y must be rush-peelable.

No, peel abandoned.  Y is going to 2b.

Declines opportunity to set up for straight tp, just going to peg with no peels.

Has reverse spread, K by peg.

K shoots from B baulk at B......misses to C4

Y rushes R up near H4, plays good split getting 2-yd rush on B to 4b.  Rushes to 2 yds behind hoop.  R is at penult.  Should finish from here.

Y blobs R.

Sorry, meant blobs rover.  Don't think B can hit Y.  R by peg, K 1 yd W of C4.

B shoots from end of A baulk at K.....hits.

B takes off to Y, sends it to mid W boundary.  Sends R to C3, shoots back to 2 yd N of K in C4

R goes to 1 yd S of C2

K rushes B halfway between H3 and H6.  Takes off to R sending B 2 yds off N boundary.  Takes off to Y, gets cut-rush to hoop.

Takes off to runnable position in front of rover, but doesn't like the look of it (Y is 1 yd behind hoop).  Shoots off boundary behind B.

Y shoots at B/K, misses.

K takes off from Y, opts to rush B to R.  Makes rover with rush to nowhere.

Rushes R to behind H4, takes off to Y.  Takes off to B which is perhaps 3 yds out of C2 towards H2.  Gets rush pointing at H1. 

Called out as ref to watch the pag, as B is cut-rushed towards it.  Gets to within about 4 yds and pegs out. to win +3

AUS 1 USA 0

Straight into next game.  Forster puts out K 1 yd W of H5, and a little S of it.

Soo plays Y to max distance on E boundary

Clarke shoots B from end of B baulk at Y, misses to 1 yd S of Y.

Lamm shoots R at K from A baulk, misses

B sends Y to H2 going to R on north boundary.  Takes off to K.  Gets poor rush which he takes to 7 yds N of H1.  Takes off to 2 ft in front of hoop, which he makes.  Should have a break to 4b now.

Leaves Y by 1b, 1ft off hoop presumably wired from the end of B Baulk.  Makes 2b, heading for NSL.

Yep, NSL with R on H4, Y by H2.

Sends K to E boundary almost level with peg, but clearly isn't happy with Y and takes off to it.  Sends Y to deeper position just off W boundary, going back to K, and leaving rush pointing at C2.

Lamm lifts R, shoots from B Baulk.......hits B.  I'm guessing that was the ball he was aiming for, as he shot from a yard or two out of C3.

B went about 4 yd S of K, but gets his rush on K to Y, should get a break out of this.

R is taking break round, now on H4.  No sign of a tpo.

Lamm is going to have a spread, K and Y are by peg as he makes 1b off B

Yep, spread with K at the peg.  Breaking for lunch.

Clips are R & B 4b,  Y & K 1.

OK, we're back.  Forster lifts K and takes shot from B Baulk.....misses into C4

Jeff makes H1 with R at H2, K still in C4

Y makes 3, takes off from B to c4 leaving B at 4b, successfully.

Sets up R and B at 4b for delayed tp, making H5 off K.

Peels R just.  I'm called on to check its through, and because he gets a semi-hampered shot to rush B.  Clean shot, all still under control.

Sends B to 2b getting a rush on R back through the hoop.  B is a poor pioneer 5 yds from hoop, so R goes to join it.

Makes 2b, and goes to set up R and B at penult before going to K at 3b.  B goes a bit too far N of penult.  He is now looking at a 1.5yd peel with a death roll to 3b.

Poor.  R bounces off penult and to the side, Y goes too far past K.  Easy enough to recover on these lawns, though.

Makes 3b with no forward rush.  Rolls K down to good position just behind penult, getting rush on R.  Has to send it long to be able to peel and get his rush on B.  Tries 3 yd peel which looked like it went through from here, but Jeff looks disgusted so I guess it missed the hoop.

Makes 4b, sends B in front of Rover getting rush on R back to penult.  Rushes 2 ft in front.  K is behind penult and to the side.  Irish peel seems the obvious choice, but Jeff seems to be thinking about going to K.

Wow.  He declines the peel altogether and takes off to K.  Makes off K.

Y goes to peg, and puts B on back of rover.  K is 5 yds off W boundary about level with H6.  Laying up on E boundary.  R is on penult, B on 4b, K on 1.

K shoots at B from where it lies.  Hits.

Sends B to 3, puts R a little into lawn and rushes Y to 1.  Who needs a H2 pionerr?

Makes 1, but gets rush to S boudary.  Rolls Y to near R on E boundary, gets rush towards H1.  Rushes to somewhere S of peg, in front of H2.  Rolls to the hoop, leaves 3 yd hoop which he misses.

Red hits K (4 yd shot).  Sends it to W boundary, level with peg.  Takes off to ...  no, can't decide where and calls on partner.  Eventually takes off to B and gets rush to penult.

Makes penult, rushes to N boundary.  Takes off to Y, gets rush to C4, not rover.

Taps Y and rolls to rover.  Gets position 1 yd in front.  Runs but has no useful rush on Y.

Taps Y and is trying 10 yd pegout.

Rolls to peg.  Y misses, R pegs out.  K on W boundary opposite peg, B on N boundary in front of H3.

K shoots at Y....hits.

Sends Y to C4 - goes about 4 yds short of corner.  Returns to B on N boundary with rush to H2.

Y shoots at peg.  misses into C2.

K rushes B to 1 yd S of C2.  Send B behind hoop, approaches 2 off Y sending it to H4.  Good approach.  Runs H2, but can only rush B to mid N boundary.  Rolls to 3 and makes it.

K now has 3-ball break and is taking it around.  Just made H4.

Misapproaches 3b off partner.  Y is in front of 4b.  Goes in front of 3b.

Y is shooting at peg......hits.  USA win + 9

Soo puts Y off E boundary.  Forster puts K 2ft S of C2.

R shoots at K from A baulk, and hits.

Rolls K to near peg.  Leaves rush for Y.

B shoots at K from A baulk....hits, sending it 3 yds E of H2.  Easy break opportunity.  Takes off to Y, ending within yard line area.

B (Clarke) is on controlled break.  All other clips on H1.  Approaching H4.

Made 1b, and is leaving Y on the hoop.  Looks like an MSL.

Hits K first after running 3b and is sending to E boundary getting rush on R to hoop.  Good rush, looks like he should get R where he wants it.

completes leave, rush for K towards peg.

Lamm lifts R, shoots from B Baulk....misses to C4

K rushes B to Y at H2.  Rushes Y to R, just missing H4.  R must be out of C4, I think, on S boundary.  Rushes R to H1 leaving Y just out of corner.

Sends B to H4 going to R at H3.  Y still just out of C4.

Sorry, seem to have lost the plot with this.  He has just rushed Y down towards H3 not having used R yet.  Not sure how that happened.  I think what I thought was a split shot going to R was in fact his rush.  Made H3 leaving R there and sending Y to H5 as he makes 4 off B.  Rushes B into H4, bounces to the side.  Rolls it down to 4b to set up for delayed tp.

Gets forward rush out of 5.  A bit close to B, Y goes up W of H6.  Peels B getting rush on R to H6. 

Makes 6, rushes R to E boundary opposite H3.  R goes to 2b, with rush on Y to B.  Leaves Y at 4b getting rush on partner to 1b.

Angled 1b means he fails to get rush on B back to 4b/penult.  Rushes it S of penult and takes off to Y at 4b.

Makes 2b and sets up R and B at penult before going to 3b.

Peels B getting rush to 4b.  Should be all over...

...and it is.  Aus win +3 -9 +26tp